Friends Friday: Where is the color?

For this edition of Friends Friday there was a lighter approach to what we all love: clothing! I like to imbue my closet with color. For some reason I only wear color when I go out at night. Maybe this week I will finally figure it out with this week's questions. Be sure to see what Katy Rose, the founder of Friends Friday, thinks about use of color.

1. What color dominates your closet? Blue and black. I am not sure how that happened but I usually add some color with a scarf. I rarely wear all blue or all black though.
2. If money weren't an issue how would you change the color emphasis in your closet? I would try and wear more color on the bottom. Like pastel slacks would be awesome in my closet a la Dries Van Noten's and Jil Sander's spring collections.
3. What is your mantra about mixing colors? I think it has more to do with body shape and how the colors will make your body look. Sometimes I ignore that idea but I mostly keep to contrasting colors that have a warm feeling. I really like mixing browns, greys, blues, and deep reds together. (See the top photo.)
4. For you, how do you incorporate color into your outfits? It is quite simple, if I do not have much color in my wardrobe I add color tights, a scarf, or jewelry. (Pictured above) I have added a colorful necklace which you can see in more detail here.
5. Which blogger(s) do you think do a good job of incorporating color into their wardrobe? I probably mention her once a week on this blog but Susie Bubble never shys away from color or texture. I also like Vahni of Grit and Glamour. She does an exceptional job of letting color work for her on different levels.


Do you use color in your wardrobe? How so?

Life is beautiful, let's share a little. 

Joy D.

Friend Friday Exclusive!!! In response to a friend pt.2: Why do we blog?

Yay, It is time for another Friends Friday! Only recently have I delved into the world of the online blog event. I shied away in part because it took too much time out of my schedule for something I considered a hobby. A year later I have found a blog event to be apart of: Kendi of Kendieveryday.com's 30x30 which is described as a way to remix your wardrobe and think about how you dress. I thought that tying this blog post with the one from yesterday was a great opportunity. Now I can exercise my belief that the advertising and branding is something that can easily be surpassed if your ideas about what YOUR style is! While I have found my calling to make both a written and physical statement it is easy for others to look at a blog event and have a different agendas. Before reading up on this I had no idea that someone would put so much time and effort into joining and participating in one of these events in order to reap benefits of fame. I am not naive I just think that is a waste of time. There is a lot of us [fashion] bloggers. We all have lots to contribute. Why waste it on a small chance to be famous or reap unlikely financial rewards? This is what I will be discussing this week with some added surprise about my decision to not attend IFB conference. And with all this wordiness I have decided to add a photo from the 30x30 project that I am currently working on through the month of February. I will do my best to take pictures each day of what I am wearing along with my two cents.

 Bear necklace: vintage from an old friend/ Shirt: Maje

1. With all the blogging events out there how do you determine which ones to participate in and which ones to avoid? There are so many events whether online or offline and it is difficult to choose. There isn't a wrong or right event to go to but there is a wrong or right for your own blog. I have fallen in love with the idea that I can discuss fashion blogging and the fashion industry from different perspectives. Since this revelation of sorts I have realized that certain online and offline events may not help my blog in anyway. I chose Kendi's 30x30 project because it relates to my assesment of my own purchases and the control of fashion media on consumption. This is an idea, while reading Kendi's mission statement, also came through. To be an efficient blogger you have to go beyond what you think people will like and write about what you know or what you are learning.

Sadly, this season, I will not be attending the IFB conference. Life has stood in the way of my presence this season but I give hugs and kisses to those that will be there. I talked to a few bloggers in seasons past that felt that the IFB conference was useless and that bloggers don't really benefit. The same was said of other blogging events and meetups around the city. Call me crazy but I think the meeting of thinkers on the a new subject like fashion blogging is something I always want to be apart of as a blogger. Excluding yourself from the discussion is a little foolish however you blog what you know or like and if IFB or any other event doesn't fit that mold of your blog then it isn't foolish at all.

2. Be honest, have you ever jumped on the bandwagon of some blogging movement/event for the wrong reasons? How did that turn out? I have a strange fear of coming off fake or even worse that I don't care on this blog which is why my blog posts have gotten longer and a little more thought out. That said, I wouldn't involve myself in a project unless I was dedicated and had my own motivations. And my motivations always have to be pure because it would most likely come out in my writing. I have always been one to over analyze something and I think my blog is a good way to work out that issue and to really see if I have something to say or if I am just mindlessly ranting. So, to be honest, I would never jump on the bandwagon for the wrong reasons.

3. How do you give your own flair to a blog event while still maintaining the general mission and purpose? A blog event online or otherwise is really what you make it. Since the 30x30 project is my first online adventure I would like to put emphasis on my small analysis on how and why we buy as fashion consumers. So maybe I am taking a more analytical approach? With an online event you can get pretty creative and as the month progresses I hope to potential grow this idea of fast and luxury fashion consumption. Plus, I always have to add humor to the conversation!


4. When determining the best content for your blog what criterion do you keep in mind? A lighter approach to discussing fashion, art, music, movies, etc. In this way I think I am set apart but it also proves to be a problem. I could have long lengthy posts about the relevance of one collection in Milan but that is neglecting 90 percent of the fashion world. I keep the resources in mind and how much information is out there about a particular subject I want to write about. If there is little to none in the way of information I am more prone to talk about it! I love drowning in resources and sifting through them like some old man in a library basement. With the way I go about discussing the subjects I do on this blog I kind of beg for it anyway.

5. While everything will not suit your blog, how do you try and support your fellow bloggers who are participating in something worthwhile but not your style? I post about what my friends are doing regardless if it fits into the content of my blog. I think support of my friends has always fit in my blog because I don't mind name dropping them and I really love what some of them come up with. Some of my friends are bloggers, artists, musicians, and great people: so why not? I have in the past snuck my friends into the features of this blog like when I had two lovely friends competing in the Sunglass Hut's Full Time Fabulous Blogger competition. I think that is one of my strong suits. Even with this post I managed to fit three posts into one. Don't worry I won't get to out of hand...

As a reader of blogs what do you think about online blog events? If you would like to see the long list of bloggers participating in Kendi's 30x30 project check it out here.
To read more about the wonderful Katy Rose click here.

And for good measure here are the Friend Fridays of the past:
Friend Friday: The Ins and Outs of My Blog
Friend Friday: What is authentic blogging?
Friend Friday: I can do anything you can do better.

Life is beautiful, let's share a little. 

Joy D.

Friend Friday: The Ins and Outs of My Blog

 This week is a short Q and A of what I am packing under my technology belt. It has helped me to blog efficiently but not necessarily glamorous. I am throwing in some more Baltimore live show pictures for good measure as I am sure you can't get enough of me and my friends dancing around and hot guys in bands. Also, I promise to be back to my frequent blogging self soon. (Sickness is a wicked mofo.)

1. What technology do you use in blogging? I have two computers: a desktop and a laptop. Yes I am a little obsessed with technology and the internet. My friend just told me the other day that I am about 75 percent internet. My camera is a NikonD5000, it is the new cub to the litter of gadgets. My phone is a Droid Eris which I have a love and hate relationship with. I don't really like blogging from my phone. I think it is fussy and time consuming. I also have a scanner that will make its debut soon on the blog. I found it at my old apartment and so it is pretty old but it does the trick!

2. What computer and online technology do you use? My laptop is a trusty dell. It is so practical it is far from cute but it endures all the wear and tear of me as both a student and a blogger. My desktop is a Sony Vaio, it is awesome! While my football team was playing I used to watch games on it. And when designers had live streams I watched in hi def! It is a blessing to have since I refuse to get cable television.

3. What is your process for taking pictures? All of my outfit posts are done with me and my camera as well as the nifty self timer option. I borrowed a remote once and it made me feel even more awkward in front of the camera so I ditched it. All of the party photos are shot by myself. I am hoping to invest in more lenses in the coming months or an adapter. Then the fun really begins.

4. When it comes to backdrops for your photos what do you consider? Do you scout locations or shoot the same spot daily? This will sound a little contrived but I go on an inspiration by inspiration basis. My outfit posts are fairly cut and dry because I only find that to be a very small percentage of my blog. 

5. If you could splurge and get one new piece of equipment what would you be buying? This is tough. I would probably get a bunch of lenses for my camera and a better printer/scanner. Definitely a Mac laptop with enough gigs to keep all my photos on it although I wouldn't. Oh, and I would get a couple more external hard drives as I have a lot of video projects coming up and have no place to store them! 

Life is beautiful, let's share a little. 

Joy D.